Opinion: Simple Math

November 8th, 201211:30 am

Daniel Marcus

As we are set to watch the Jets as they prepare for the second half of the season, they have left themselves in a less than advantageous position when it comes to vying for the playoffs. At 3-5, Rex’s Jets find themselves two games out of a playoff spot with a lot of work to do before they can even be considered in the hunt but mathematically they are very much alive.

However, it will take a complete 180 for the Jets to make it back to the postseason, at 3-5 the Jets will likely have to go 6-2 at worst in their final eight games in order to even have a shot. ‘

Lucky for the Jets, the AFC has proven to be weaker than it’s been in quite some time so much so that an 8-8 team might have a reasonable shot but that is contingent upon the fact that they actually, you know, win games. The question is do they have the talent and the ability not to shoot themselves in the foot and God forbid the head (see Miami game) in order to right the ship. I have taken the liberty of looking over the Jets final eight opponents and categorizing them so let’s take a look at what stands between Gang Green and another playoff run:

Games They Should Win:

11/18. At St. Louis

12/09, At Jacksonville

12/30, At Buffalo

*Acknowledging that there is no such thing as a “lock” in the NFL, especially with the Jets these are games that they should not lose (at least on paper) or are more likely to win than to lose. These are opponents that are obviously inferior and ideally the Jets should have no problem putting away even on the road.

Games They Could Win:

11/11, At Seattle

12/02. vs Cardinals

12/17, at Titans

12/23, vs Chargers

*These opponents are a tier above the “should win” games and although none are great, each could very easily create problems for the Jets. However, all of these teams are flawed in a certain way that makes them very much beatable but far from a pushover. The two biggest tests will be this weekend against the Seahawks, who arguably have the league’s best home field advantage and one of the best defenses in the league. In addition, the game against the Chargers just before Christmas will certainly not be an easy one, with Phillip Rivers at the helm although the Jets have had his number recently.

Definitive Underdogs:

11/22. Thanksgiving Night vs Patriots

*I’ll be honest in that I don’t think the Pats are a very good team but by this point they will have been on quite a roll even though it is safe to say the Jets should have beaten them in Foxboro. Vegas and the pundits will make the Jets home underdogs once again because of the momentum of the Patriots and the lack thereof of the Jets. We will see what type of football the Jets are playing at that point but for now we’ll file this game under: “Don’t Hold Your Breath.”

Final Thoughts:

I would like for this team to get rolling and start playing some consistently better football but from what I have seen, the cynic in me says that they just don’t have the talent to contend this year, the hole they’ve dug for themselves appears to be too deep. On the other hand, if there is any team that consistently surprises me (both good and bad) it’s the Jets so anything is possible albeit unlikely.